BAGDAD – U.S. President Donald Trump has made a surprise visit to Iraq to visit United States troops there, after speculation buzzed throughout the day over the flight path of the plan used for Air Force One, the White House confirmed on Wednesday afternoon.
Trump and First Lady Melania travelled there “late on Christmas night” to thank service personnel for “their service, their success, and their sacrifice and to wish them a Merry Christmas”, a statement said.
The trip marks Trump’s first presidential visit to U.S. military forces in a combat zone.
The aircraft normally carrying the president of the United States or a member of his immediate family, known as Air Force One, was spotted above the United Kingdom on Wednesday morning, and civilian air monitors tracked it as it headed towards the Middle East.
An image circulating on social media shows the plane speeding across the sky over Yorkshire in Britain’s mid-central Chapeltown, after leaving Andrews Air Force Base at midnight.
Speculation from political pundits earlier on Wednesday led some to say it could be a surprise trip to visit U.S. troops in Afghanistan or a diplomatic trip to Turkey.
Analysts say that, because the aircraft does not have the “Air Force One” callsign on this flight, it could be headed to pick a member of U.S. President Donald Trump’s family up from the Middle East or has another dignitary on board.
(c)Breaking911 – Eli Ridder
